The real-life story
of a young nun's arduous journey
through the labyrinth of crime and punishment
that became a best-selling
book,
then an award-winning movie
is
now an opera!
dead
man WALKING a World Premiere
commissioned by San Francisco Opera
War Memorial Opera House
October 7, 10, 13, 17, 19, 22, 25, 28 (2000)
With
music composed by Jake Heggie and conducted
by Patrick Summers, two of the most gifted
young personalities in musical America today, this uniquely American contemporary
drama based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, takes on a new dimension.
And
with the libretto written by award-winning playwright and opera lover Terrence
McNally and performances by two of today's celebrated mezzo-sopranos
- Susan Graham
(creating the role of Sister Helen) and Frederica
von Stade (as the inmate's mother), and two of America's fast-rising
young singers - baritone John Packard (as the
inmate Joe de Rocher) and Soprano Nicolle
Foland (as the victim's mother) - Dead
Man Walking, the opera has all the elements that make up a one-of-a-kind
musical and theatrical experience.
Stage direction is by Joe Mantello and set design is by Michael Yeargan.
The work, commissioned by San Francisco Opera as part of General Director
Lotfi Mansouri's Pacific
Visions program for replenishing the opera repertory, is yet
another testament to the coming of age of American Opera.
(In the month before the premiere, FanFaire held aTickets
to the OPERA Raffle sponsored
by San Francisco Opera during which three pairs of orchestra tickets to
Dead Man Walking were given away to three FanFaire viewers.)
Lead funding for Dead Man Walking is
provided by Mrs. Paul L. Wattis and by the support of The Chase Global Private
Bank with additional funding by The Carlyle Fund, The Howard Gilman Foundation,
and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Join
FanFaire's CD GIVEAWAY!!!
Visit FanFaire's SUSAN GRAHAM & Nicolle
Foland pages
